Half UK's online shoppers buy from their beds, while 70% check their phones on waking: research

Almost half (48%) of the UK's online shoppers buy from their beds, while 1 in 10 (11%) do so from the toilet – and one in 100 (1%) while having sex, according to new research from Give as you Live. Another study, from Toluna, found that 70% of UK smartphone users check their phones as soon as they wake up.

Research from price comparison website Give as you Live, which raises money for charity when shoppers buy through 3,500 retailers listed on the site, also found that a further 1 in 10 (11%) of admit to shopping online whilst dining or drinking out, areas that may previously have been outside social limits - making them what Give to Live has termed an anti-social shopper.

Steff Lewis, head of consumer insights at Give as you Live, which questioned 2,000 online shoppers for the study, said: “The ability to compare prices and product reviews means that internet shopping has become a staple for many of us – but there’s a time and a place! Shopping on the loo or in bed is fine, but on a date or during sex – really? We’re slapping the culprits with anti-social shopping orders (ASSOs) – we hope they learn their lesson!”

The study came as research from digital market research and technology company Toluna showed that 70% of UK consumers now check their smartphones as soon as they wake up, and 57% of participants multitask using more than one device at once. Some 40% of connected consumers use a tablet or laptop while also watching the TV; 13% use a smartphone. However, 63% said they did not use other devices at the same time as using their tablet, and 61% of laptop users said the same.

Toluna questioned 1,000 UK smartphone users in the UK as well as in the US in order to find out which devices they used to access the web. It found that connected devices had become integral in consumers' daily lives and that many might struggle to switch off from online.

"As consumers use multiple devices to access the internet, it is becoming more important to understand how habits are changing,” said Paul Twite, managing director, UK at Toluna. “With UK consumers active on the internet at all times of the day, and in all locations, it is important for marketers to be able to provide engaging content outside of traditional time frames. It is also vital to react quickly to trending themes and stories in order to meet the high expectations of an audience that is always switched on.”

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